Blood orange for breakfast. Yum.
Lots of fun recipes to take advantage of the short Blood Orange season here
Below is one that can be adapted several ways, including substituting navel oranges as needed. Continue reading
Recipes
Full Dinner Menu: Pasta Jambalaya and Orange Cookies
My goal with the dinner menus is to have a quick meal planned that doesn’t taste quick and uses fresh foods, versus over-processed frozen or microwave dinners. I think this one really meets that test. It’s full of great flavors and fresh vegetables. And the Orange cookies are a quick dessert, but you can always substitute fresh oranges for a healthier alternative.
On the board:
- Pasta Jambalaya
- Broccoli
- Orange Cookies
Pasta Jambalaya
- 12 oz penne pasta
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 tsp to 1 tbsp Cajun or Creole seasoning
- 15 oz can black beans
- 14 oz can diced tomatoes
- 4 oz can chopped green chilies
- 4 oz smoked sausage, sliced (I like Andouille)
- 4 oz shredded Mexican 4-blend cheese
saucepan Continue reading
More Pizza
I split this batch of dough between pizza and a french loaf. Jeffreyw’s pizzas always look better, but my technique is improving.
Bagels and Books
Someone told me about Everything Bagel Ice Cream and my only response was, “now I want bagels.” The ice cream, not so much.
So I made another batch of bagels and I think I’m getting the hang of it. Crispy, chewy crust, and nicely textured inside. Continue reading
Holiday Gifts: Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
Someone asked me for this recipe this morning and after I shared it with them, I decided to make a batch myself.
From June:
I really like these cookies, they’re simple to make and gluten-free. But one thing about them is they a terribly sweet. So I decided to see what would happen if I cut the sugar down considerably.
They turned out super – not too sweet and super peanut butter flavor. Changes are in blue.
Peanut Butter Cookies (Revisited)
(makes 12-18)
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 egg
baking sheet
Cream ingredients together and drop by spoonful onto a baking sheet. Dip a fork in sugar and press down the dough. Bake at 300 degree F for 10-13 minutes.
This usually gets a good, soft cookie, but I wanted to try for a crispier outside. But they are prone to burning. So at the 13-minute mark, I turned off the oven and let them sit for 5 more minutes. They turned out perfectly – crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside.
Going to make them again soon.
Dinner Menu: Cranberry Pepper Steak and Bleu Cheese Mashed Potatoes
Cranberries are on sale now, so it seemed a good time to re-up this recipe. You can use sirloin steak, or ribeye or NY strip. Works well on chicken breasts, too.
My love of cranberries has been well documented here. So no wonder this is one of my favorite dinners. The potatoes are very creamy – you can make them more calorie friendly by reducing the amount of butter, you probably won’t miss it with the creamy dressing.
- Cranberry Pepper Steak
- Bleu Cheese Mashed Potatoes
- Sliced Carrots
- Grapes
Cranberry Pepper Steak
- 1/2 cup canned whole cranberries*
- ¼ tsp chili pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 lb sirloin steak
- ½ tsp crushed garlic
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
saucepan, broiler pan
In saucepan, combine cranberries, pepper flakes, & vinegar. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, cook until thickened and reduced by half. Rub sirloin on both sides with garlic, chili, salt & pepper (use more of each if desired). Cut into 4 pieces, broil (or grill) 5 minutes on each side for rare. Spoon sauce over cooked steaks & serve.
Bleu Cheese Mashed Potatoes
- 4 large russet potatoes
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ½ cup blue cheese dressing
saucepan
Wash and cube potatoes (peeling optional – I never peel mine, just scrub really, really well), add to saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are fork tender (about 20 minutes). Drain well. Add butter, salt, pepper and dressing. Mash potatoes until fluffy (I find a hand mixer works best)
*I keep fresh cranberries in the freezer. If you want to use fresh, add 1/4 cup of sugar and dash of orange juice as a substitute for canned.
Holiday Gifts: A Variety of Spritz Butter Cookies
A day late, but in honor of National Cookie Day, my favorite Christmas cookie recipe. I made my first batch yesterday and they are always a big hit.
I love spritz butter cookies. They’re tiny little, melt-in-your-mouth bites that go great with a cup of coffee. I didn’t realize how easy they were to make. It helped that a friend of a friend gifted me her all-metal, ratchet handled press. These are not easy to come by any more, at least not when I went looking. Most of the new ones are partially plastic and received tepid reviews, especially for durability and ease of use.
I love all the cute designs. Although my Christmas trees kind of look like trilobites, they taste great.
I have also upped the ante and made zesty butter cookies – one with lime zest and another with lemon zest and dust with citrus powdered sugar. Recipe here.
Spritz Cookies
- 1 cup butter, softened/room temp
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 egg yolks, room temp
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Continue reading
